Here are a few observations I have made about flyfishing and trout. These events are taken from photos, fishing shows, and magazines.

Why do some flyfishers hold the flyrod in their mouth while posing with their catch?
I've seen places they can rest their gear that won't damage it.

Why do some people refuse to remove a fish from the water?

Why do some people struggle to unhook a fish swimming around in a net? They refuse to grab the fish to remove the hook.

Why do people allow a trout to lay on top of their hands, never consider the possibility that the fish may flop and hit the rocks below?

I saw where a guide told the client not to touch the fish and not to remove the fish from the water. Wait a minute...it's not the guide's fish.

I really don't get it. We enter the territory the fish live in. We step on fish eggs. We intentionally deceive fish by throwing manufactured food at them. We impale them with a sharpened piece of wire. We drag them back to us, anticipating a struggle on the fish's end. We trap them in a fish net where they have little chance to escape. It is only after we capture our intended prey that we show the greatest acts of kindness? I never see the baitcast, spinning, or spincast crowd behave this way...catching bass, muskies, catfish, salmon, walleyes, etc.

There have been many times, while unhooking certain fish (warmouths, bluegills, and LM bass) that the fish erractically shakes it's head while I'm unhooking it. The fish only shakes it's head while I am unhooking it. Some people believe that fish feel no pain. I am convinced that fish do feel pain, based on these experiences.

I have a Jewish friend, and he tells me of laws and rules that govern their fishing behavior according to his faith.

I, like many others have caught hundreds, if not thousands of fish. I respect the planet we live on, and I respect the natural resources that God provides for us. There have been some periods of my life, after seeing/feeling a fish shaking while I remove the hook...that almost bother me to the point of giving my gear away and doing something else.

I used to hunt small game. I enjoyed the whole experience, but the final act of killing the animal was the part that finally bothered me. Nowadays, I'll bring a pair of binocs and a squirrel call.